OBJECTIVETo investigate the relationship between excision repair cross complementation group 4 ERCC4 gene polymorphisms and DNA damage in lymphocytes of coke oven workers and controls.

METHODSTwo hundred and forty-six coke oven workers and one hundred and twenty-seven controls were recruited in the study, and peripheral vein blood was drawn after over night fasting. Comet assay was used to evaluate DNA damage, and TaqMan-MGB probes were used to analyze ERCC4 genetic variations including the three Tagged-single nucleotide polymorphisms (Tag SNPs), referred to rs744154, rs3136079 and rs31870 which were picked out from Hapmap database. Then haplotypes were reconstructed by PHASE2.0.2 software.

RESULTSThe lymphocytes Olive TM value of coke oven workers was significantly higher than that of controls (1.26+/-1.12 vs 0.52+/-0.97, P<0.01). Among coke oven workers, no significant difference was found between the Olive TM of those with different genotypes or haplotype pairs at ERCC4 gene (P>0.05). However, in the control group, the TG genotype carriers had higher Olive TM than the TT and GG genotype carriers (0.26+/-0.96 vs 0.66+/-0.98 and 0.66+/-0.51, P<0.05), and the CTG/CTG haplotype pairs carriers had the highest Olive TM (0.69+/-1.01), and no CTG haplotype carriers had the lowest Olive TM (0.25+/-0.80), and the difference was borderline (P=0.08).

CONCLUSIONThe gene polymorphism at ERCC4 gene has no effects on the DNA damage of lymphocytes in coke oven workers, but the TG genotype carriers has lower DNA damage in the control. DNA damage is influenced by the interaction of genetic and environmental factors.